Cold-storage appliance

ABSTRACT

A cold-storage appliance comprises an open-topped insulating container defining an external surface, an insulating lid adapted to close the open top of the container, a cooling means adapted to cool the interior but not the exterior of the container, and a structure supporting the container, the lid and the cooling means. In accordance with the invention, the container is mounted to the structure for movement relative to the structure and the lid to open the container and afford access to its interior or to close the container, and at least a majority of the external surface of the container is exposed to ambient air when the container is closed by the lid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to cold-storage appliances such as refrigeratorsand freezers for storing foodstuffs and other perishables. Otherapplications of the invention include storage of chemicals and medicalor biological specimens.

The invention can be applied equally well to storing any items within acooled environment, such as in a refrigerated goods vehicle. The term‘appliance’ is therefore to be construed broadly, extending beyond fixeddomestic devices into industrial, scientific and mobile applications.Nevertheless, the majority of this specification will describe domesticcold-storage appliances for storing foodstuffs.

The principal reason for storing foodstuffs in refrigerated conditionsis to retard their degradation through microbial action or physiologicalor chemical changes, so that their shelf-life is extended for as long aspossible. In order optimally to extend shelf-life through refrigeration,several factors must be considered; for example, the most suitabletemperature for storing the foodstuff. In addition, some foodstuffsdegrade quickly under the attack of virulent microbes that are readilycirculated to other foodstuffs stored nearby, causingcross-contamination. It has long been appreciated that it is desirableto segregate different types of foodstuffs; accordingly, modemrefrigerators are usually compartmentalised with the intention that theuser will store similar types of food in each compartment.

As cold-storage appliances consume large amounts of power in use, energyefficiency is also an important consideration when designing suchappliances. In fact, this is becoming an increasingly importantconsideration for consumers when they buy electrical appliances such asrefrigerators, freezers, washing machines and tumble driers: retailershave responded to this by displaying energy-efficiency ratings on thefront of such appliances in their showrooms. Indeed, this an EUrequirement.

The typical household refrigerator is an upright cabinet with a hingeddoor on its front. The door and cabinet form an airtight enclosure via amagnetic compressible seal. Substantially all of the interior of thecabinet defines a storage volume, most commonly partitioned by a numberof shelves. Access to all of the shelves is gained by opening the door,which is common to all shelves. The refrigerator also houses a coolerunit situated near to its top which cools the air circulating as aconvection current in which the air cooled by the cooler unit sinks tothe bottom of the refrigerator around the sides of the interior storagespace, and as the air is warmed, it rises up through the centre of theinterior back to the cooler unit where it is cooled, and so on adinfinitum.

To allow convection of the cool air around all of the refrigerator toensure that all stored foodstuffs are chilled, the shelves are typicallymade of wire so that they offer little resistance to the circulation ofair, whilst still being able to support the stored foodstuffs.

Upright freezers often follow this same basic design, although thecooler unit is used to chill the interior of the freezer to below zeroCelsius. Upright refrigerators and freezers are often combined and soldas a single unit with a refrigerator occupying the top half of thecabinet and the freezer occupying the bottom half, or vice versa. Asdifferent temperatures are required for the two sections, they arepartitioned by a solid divide and each section has its own door andcooler unit.

A major problem with upright refrigerators and freezers is the uprightdoor. The coldest air will drop to the bottom of the refrigerator orfreezer as it is more dense than warmer air. When the door is opened,this cold air flows freely out of the refrigerator or freezer to bereplaced by warm ambient air flowing in at the top. Accordingly,whenever the door is opened, the rush of ambient air into the interiorof the refrigerator or freezer causes its temperature to rise: this risemust be redressed by running the cooler unit and hence consuming moreenergy. Moisture in the incoming ambient air also gives rise tocondensation and ice within the cabinet.

A further problem inherent in the upright door is its associatedvertical seal. The coldest air that collects at the bottom of therefrigerator or freezer constantly seeks to escape through the sealinginterface so that, if the seal forms an imperfect seal between the doorand the cabinet, this air will escape.

A common alternative design of freezer is the chest freezer which, asits name implies, is an open-topped chest with a hinged lid closing itstop. The interior of a chest freezer is usually partitioned using openwire walls or open wire baskets. As before, the walls or baskets aredesigned to allow cooled air to circulate freely throughout the freezerby convection.

The chest freezer helps to combat the problems of the uprightrefrigerator or freezer because its lid seal is not exposed to thecoldest and densest air in the same manner. However, the chestconfiguration is inconvenient and wasteful of space because it precludesuse of the space immediately above the freezer, which space must bepreserved to allow the lid to be opened. Nor can items be leftconveniently on top of the lid. It is also well known that large chestfreezers can make access to their contents extremely difficult, it beingnecessary to stoop down and shift numerous heavy and painfully colditems to get to items at the bottom of the freezer compartment.

Moreover, both upright refrigerators and freezers and chest freezerssuffer from a common disadvantage as follows. Generally, users want toaccess only one part of a refrigerator or freezer at a time. However, asthere is generally only a single common door or lid for either arefrigerator or a freezer compartment, each time the door is opened thewhole of its interior is exposed to warm ambient air, and so the wholeof the interior must be cooled afresh at the expense of further energyconsumption.

As mentioned above, segregation of different types of foodstuff isadvantageous in avoiding cross-contamination. However, segregation offood is often compromised by the convection principle employed in mostrefrigerators. As the cooled air must chill the stored foodstuffs, it iscirculated throughout the refrigerator. The substantially open basketsor shelves designed to promote circulation of air between thecompartments unfortunately also promote the circulation of moisture andharmful bacteria. In addition, any liquid that may spill or leak from afoodstuff container will not be contained by the open partitions: thisis particularly a problem for juices running from uncooked meats wherethe chances of contamination are high and the consequences ofcross-contamination can be particularly severe.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing discussion, it is advantageousto divide a refrigerator into compartments, each with its own dedicateddoor or lid. Embodiments of this idea are disclosed in UK Patent NumbersGB 602,590, GB 581,121 and GB 579,071, all to Earle, that describecabinet-like refrigerators. The front of the cabinet is provided with aplurality of rectangular openings for receiving drawers. Each drawer hasa front panel larger than its respective opening so that a vertical sealis formed around the overlap when the drawer is in a closed position.

The drawers and their contents are cooled by a cooler unit thatcirculates cooled air by convection within the cabinet, in common withthe types of refrigerator already described. To promote circulation ofthis air amongst all of the drawers, the drawers are open-topped andhave apertures in their bottoms. Also, the drawers are disposed in astepped arrangement, those at the top of the refrigerator extending backless far into the cabinet than the lower drawers so that the rear ofeach drawer is exposed to the downward flow of cooled air from thecooler unit.

Although only one drawer need be opened at a time, the apertures in thebottom allow cold air to flow freely from the open drawer, which isreplaced by warm moist ambient air to the detriment of energy efficiencyand with the increased possibility of crosscontamination. Indeed, when adrawer is opened, cold air within the cabinet above the level of thatdrawer will flood out, drawing ambient air into the cabinet.Furthermore, the drawers encourage ambient air to flow into the interiorof the refrigerator because, upon opening, they act as pistons drawingthe ambient air into the interior of the refrigerator cabinet. Once inthe cabinet, the warm air can circulate as freely as the cold air thatis supposed to be there.

Even when closed, the accumulation of cold air towards the bottom of thecabinet will exert increased pressure on the vertical seals of thelowest drawers, increasing the likelihood of leakage if the seal isfaulty.

A further example of the above type of refrigerator is disclosed in UKPatent Number GB 602,329, also to Earle. The refrigerator disclosedtherein suffers many of the above problems but is of greater interest inthat a single drawer consisting of insulated sides and base is providedwithin the cooled interior of the cabinet. In contrast to the variantsoutlined above, the sides and base are solid and not perforated so thatair cannot flow through them. When the drawer is closed, a horizontalmember within the cabinet combines with the drawer to define acompartment, the horizontal member thus being a lid for the drawer. Thiscompartment is provided with its own cooling coils situated just belowthe horizontal member.

Very little detail is given about the seal that is formed between thedrawer and the horizontal member, other than that the horizontal memberhas a downwardly projecting rear end with a biased edge that makes aclose fit with the rear wall of the drawer. Nothing else is said aboutthe junction between the drawer and the horizontal member, apart fromthe general statement that the drawer is adapted when in its closedposition to fit ‘fairly snugly’ against the horizontal member. It canonly be inferred that the drawer and the horizontal member merely abutagainst each other. Whilst this will impede the passage of air into andout of the drawer, it will not form an impervious seal. As this is not avapour seal, icing is likely to occur even when the drawer is closed.

The drawer arrangement described creates a compartment in which adifferent temperature can be set when compared to the essentially commontemperature of the rest of the refrigerator. It is particularlyenvisaged that the drawer can act as a freezer compartment. TheApplicant has appreciated a disadvantage in this arrangement, namelythat as the freezer drawer resides within the cooled interior whenclosed, the outer surfaces of the drawer within the cabinet will becooled to the temperature of the refrigerator. Accordingly, when thedrawer is opened, those cooled outer surfaces will be exposed to ambientair containing moisture that will condense on the cooled surfacesleading to an undesirable accumulation of moisture. Condensationinvolves transfer of latent heat from water vapour to the drawer, thusincreasing the burden of cooling the drawer again when the drawer isreturned to the closed position within the cabinet.

Additionally, condensed moisture will be transferred to the interior ofthe refrigerator when the drawer is closed. As discussed above, thepresence of water promotes microbial activity. A further disadvantage ofintroducing water into the interior of the refrigerator is that it mayfreeze: this can be a particular problem where the drawer of theenclosed compartment meets the insulated top, as any ice formation willform a seal that locks the drawer in a permanently closed position. Thisdisadvantage was appreciated by Earle, as a cam mechanism is included inhis proposal to break any ice-formed seals. It is also possible for abuild-up of ice to affect the sealing ability of the seal, by preventingmating sealing surfaces from mating correctly.

Of course, the accumulation of ice on moving parts of the drawermechanism is also undesirable as it will impede movement of the drawer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is against this background that the present invention has beendevised. In a broad sense, the invention resides in a cold-storageappliance comprising:

-   -   an open-topped insulating container defining an external        surface;    -   an insulating lid adapted to close the open top of the        container;    -   a cooling means adapted to cool the interior but not the        exterior of the container; and    -   a structure supporting the container, the lid and the cooling        means;        wherein the container is mounted to the structure for movement        relative to the structure and the lid to open the container and        afford access to its interior or to close the container, and        wherein at least a majority of the external surface of the        container is exposed to ambient air when the container is closed        by the lid.

By exposing the external surface of the container to warmer air than itcontains, that surface is kept above the temperature at whichsignificant condensation can occur. This is in contrast to the prior artwhere the external surface of a drawer within a cooled compartment isexposed to ambient air only when the drawer is open, and so isinevitably cold enough to risk condensation when the drawer is opened.In the invention, there is no problem with condensation on the externalsurface, and hence no problem with latent heat transfer to the containeror the icing and cross-contamination difficulties of condensed waterwithin the appliance. Indeed, the external surface of the container doesnot undergo any significant temperature rise when the container is movedand hence opened.

The invention thus provides a cold-storage appliance having anambient-exposed surface area enclosing a cooled compartment, in which amajority of that surface area moves upon opening the compartment whereasa minority of that surface area remains stationary. This may becontrasted with the prior art in which a majority of the ambient-exposedsurface area remains stationary when the compartment is opened by movinga minority of that surface area. In that sense, the invention goesdirectly against conventional wisdom.

It is preferred that movement of the container with respect to thestructure and the lid includes a major generally horizontal component ofmovement, to which end the container may be mounted to the structure bymeans running along at least one generally horizontal track. Such atrack suitably includes rails, which rails are advantageouslytelescopic.

Further or in the alternative, the container can be supported by wheelsor rollers running along a generally horizontal support surface.

In any case, to aid seal operation, movement of the container withrespect to the structure and the lid preferably includes a minorgenerally vertical component of movement when the container is near tothe lid. More specifically, the container advantageously lifts againstthe lid upon closing and drops away from the lid upon opening. The trackor support surface may, for example, include a ramp effecting thisvertical component of movement.

For optimum sealing, the apparatus preferably includes horizontal sealmeans that seal the container to the lid when the container is closed.The seal is advantageously compressible and may operate magnetically,for example electro-magnetically. The seal could alternatively be ofhydraulic or pneumatic type.

To solve the problem of condensation as effectively as possible, it ispreferred that substantially all of the external surface of thecontainer is exposed to ambient air when the container is closed. Theexternal surface may comprise a plurality of surface portions, such asare defined by bottom and side walls of the container. For example, thecontainer may be generally cuboidal for best use of space.

In an elegant arrangement, the cooling means is associated with the lidand more preferably is integral with the lid. Cleaning is eased if thecooling means is substantially flush with the underside of the lid.

The appliance preferably further includes shut-down means for shuttingdown the cooling means when the container is not closed. This savesenergy. The shut-down means may, for example, include a switch closed bypresence of the container so that the user does not have to remember tooperate the shut-down means every time the container is opened orremoved from the structure.

Further to improve energy consumption and to minimise cooling of ambientair within the appliance, a retractable screen is preferably providedbeing extensible across and suitably beneath the cooling means when thecontainer is open. For example, the screen may be furled on a rollerwhen retracted, and is preferably heat-reflective.

For automatic extension and retraction, the screen may be attached atone end to the structure and at an opposed end to the container or tomeans such as a cradle associated with the container, and isadvantageously biased into a retracted configuration. If attached to thecontainer, the screen should preferably be attached to the container ina removable manner so that the container can be removed from theappliance. In that event, the appliance suitably includes a retainingmeans for retaining the screen in a wholly or partially extendedconfiguration when the screen is detached from the container. However,where means such as a cradle is employed, the screen can remain attachedto the cradle even when the container is removed from the appliance.

To remove water or ice from the screen, a wiper or scraper may beprovided. The wiper or scraper is suitably operable during retraction ofthe screen.

For optimum flexibility of storage use, it is much preferred that thecooling means is adjustable so that the same container can be used tochill or to freeze.

The structure of the appliance may be a cabinet and/or may include aframe. The appliance can be adapted to be built-in between cupboards orother structures, for example by the removal of decorative side panels.In any event, it is preferred that the structure and/or any surroundingstructure defines at least one ambient air circulation channel aroundthe external surface of the closed container.

Means may conveniently be provided to draw in ambient air from the frontof the appliance, and/or to exhaust ambient air to the front of theappliance. To this end, the structure can define a front panel includingat least one opening for admission or expulsion of air. This front panelpreferably further comprises control and/or display means.

For optimum circulation, the appliance preferably further comprises animpeller for promoting admission and exhaustion of ambient air.

It is preferred that the container is removable from the structure, sothat the container can be removed for cleaning or so that it can betaken away from the appliance with its chilled or frozen contents stillinside. In that latter event, an auxiliary insulated lid or cover ispreferably attachable to the container upon its removal from thestructure. The removed container can be used on a picnic, for example,or may be used in conjunction with a replacement container when there isa need for temporary additional cooled storage.

To afford access to a container from different sides of the appliance,the container can advantageously be moved with respect to the structurein a plurality of different directions to open the container.

To segregate and organise the interior of a container for storage ofdifferent items, means such as partitions, boxes and shelves can beprovided to divide the interior of the container.

In preferred embodiments, the appliance of the invention has a pluralityof containers, each having an associated lid and cooling means. In thatcase, it is much preferred that the cooling means are independentlycontrollable so that each compartment can be set to a temperatureappropriate to its contents, and preferably so that the ratio of chilledto frozen storage space can be varied at will simply by adjusting thetemperature of a compartment above or below a threshold of, say, zeroCelsius. Whilst it is simplest if the respective cooling means areconnected to a common refrigerator engine, it is possible to have aplurality of refrigerator engines. For example, it would be possible tohave an individual refrigerator engine for each compartment.

To emulate the space efficiency, familiarity and convenience of uprightrefrigerators and freezers but without suffering their numerousdisadvantages as discussed above, the containers are preferably stackedone above another. The containers are suitably of different interiorsizes, shapes or volumes.

Viewing means may be provided to assist a user in viewing the contentsof a container. For example, a window may be provided in the frontand/or bottom of a container, or a suitably-angled mirror can be placedabove the container when open.

The already minimal risk of cross-contamination between compartments canbe reduced almost to zero by including means for preventing opening of acontainer when another container is open.

Where the appliance includes structures such as a track, a supportsurface or a retracted screen, it is preferred that these structures areexposed to ambient air so that there are no problems with icing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention can be more readily understood, referencewill now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator/freezer appliance according toan embodiment of the invention, showing a vertical array of drawers eachincluding a bin;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the appliance of FIG. 1, with a lower portionof a side panel removed so that the sides of the drawers can be seen;

FIG. 3 is a section along line III—III of FIG. 2 but with the drawersclosed;

FIG. 4 is a section along line IV—IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic sectional side view of two drawers ofthe appliance of the preceding drawings, showing one way of mounting thedrawers to the appliance;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic sectional side view of two drawers of anappliance in accordance with the invention, showing another way ofmounting the drawers to the appliance and a way of mounting binsremovably to the drawers;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a bin and lid of FIG. 6 showing the dispositionof rollers and grooves used to mount the drawers to the appliance;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged schematic detail view of portions of two drawersof an appliance in accordance with the invention, showing yet anotherway of mounting the drawers to the appliance and of mounting binsremovably to the drawers;

FIGS. 9(a), 9(b) and 9(c) are a sequence of sectional schematic sideviews showing a variant in which a drawer is opened by opening a hingeddoor on the front of the appliance, the door being linked to the drawerto pull the bin forward as the door opens;

FIG 10 is a sectional schematic side view showing another variant inwhich drawers are mounted on inclined supports so that gravity assistsclosing and sealing;

FIGS. 11(a), 11(b), 11(c) and 11(d) are sectional schematic side viewsof a variant in which a crank assists lifting a bin into sealingengagement with a top seal as the drawer is closed, FIG 11(a) being ageneral overview and FIGS. 11(b) to 11(d) being a sequence of enlargeddetail views showing the interaction of the crank and the bin as thedrawer moves rearwardly;

FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of a variant akin to the variant ofFIG. 10 but employing a horizontal rail and an inclined evaporatorcooling means;

FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b) are sectional schematic plan and front viewsrespectively showing a variant employing side seals between a bin and alid;

FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) are sectional schematic side views, FIG. 14(a)being a general overview and FIG. 14(b) being an enlarged detail view,showing a dualaction scraper to remove ice or moisture from anevaporator during both opening and closing of a drawer;

FIG. 15 is a sectional schematic side view of a further scraper variant,in this case employing deformation of a flexible membrane to promote theremoval of ice and moisture from the evaporator;

FIG. 16 is a sectional schematic side view showing a defrost tray thatsits in a bin when a drawer is left partially closed to defrost theevaporator, the tray thereby catching moisture dripping from theevaporator;

FIG. 17 is a sectional schematic side view showing a fan coil coolingarrangement applied to a bin, which may similarly be applied to aplurality of bins;

FIG. 18 is a sectional schematic front view through a bin of anothervariant and its lid, showing how the lid includes a dished evaporatorpromoting drainage of moisture into drainage gutters around the upperperipheral wall of the bin;

FIGS. 19(a) and 19(b) are schematic sectional and plan viewsrespectively of the lid of the variant shown in FIG. 18; and

FIGS. 20(a), 20(b) and 20(c) are schematic views of a scaled-upextension of the inventive concept, being applied to bulk storage in acold store and commercial transportation in a refrigerated vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 to 4 show a refrigerator/freezer appliance 2 according to anembodiment of this invention. The appliance 2 is of upright cuboidalconfiguration, and comprises five rectangular-fronted drawers 4 arrangedone above another and housed in a cabinet 6 comprising top 8, bottom 10,side 12 and rear 14 panels. Any of these panels can be omitted if it isdesired to build the appliance 2 into a gap between other supportingstructures; in particular, the side panels 12 can be omitted ifneighbouring cupboards can be relied upon for support or otherwise toperform the function of the side panels 12. The panels 8, 10, 12, 14 mayor may not be structural but if they are not, a frame (not shown)provides support for the various parts of the appliance. If a frame isprovided, it is structurally unnecessary to have panels.

The drawers 4 can be slid horizontally into and out of the cabinet 6 bymeans of tracks on the sides of the drawers 4 that will be described inmore detail below. If there is no back panel 14, it is possible for adrawer 4 to be removed from the cabinet 6 in more than one direction, asshown in FIG. 2.

Each drawer 4 comprises an insulated open-topped bucket-like container16, at least one container 16 (in this case, that of the central drawer4) being of a different depth to the other containers 16 to define adifferent internal volume. These containers 16 will be referred to inthis specific description as bins 16. The bottom bin 16 leaves only anarrow gap to the bottom panel 10 of the cabinet 6, whereas the top bin16 leaves a substantial space at the top of the appliance 2 under thetop panel 8, allowing room for a compartment 18 that accommodates arefrigerator engine 20, for example including condenser and compressormeans as is well known.

The relatively deep bin 16 of central drawer 4 is intended to holdbottles and other relatively tall items stored upright, whereas theother, relatively shallow bins 16 are for correspondingly shalloweritems. Compared to the shelves and other compartments defining the mainstorage volume of a conventional upright cold-storage appliance, all ofthe bins 16 have a favourable aspect ratio in terms of the substantialwidth of the access opening compared to the depth of the compartmentthereby accessed. It is therefore very easy to reach every part of theinterior of a bin 16 when a drawer 4 is opened.

The interior of the cabinet 6 is divided by five insulated lids 22, onefor each drawer 4, that are generally planar and horizontally disposed.When a drawer 4 is closed, the open top of its associated bin 16 isclosed by an appropriate one of the lids 22 in a manner to be described.The lids 22 include cooling means 24 being evaporator elements of knowntype disposed in the lower face 26 of each lid 22 to cool the contentsof a bin 16 closed by that lid 22.

Each bin 16 has a generally flat front face 28 that is exposed when thedrawer 4 is closed. The front face 28 could be provided with adecorative panel as is well known. When the drawer 4 is closed, thefront face 28 of the bin 16 is bordered at the top by a control anddisplay panel 30 dedicated to that bin 16, the panel 30 being co-planarwith the front face 28. The panel 30 is supported by the front edge 32of the appropriate lid 22, the panel 30 being recessed into the frontedge 32 of the lid 22.

The control and display panel 30 contains a number of displays, switchesand audible alarms, thus providing a user interface for each bin 16. Forexample, the interface will most commonly be used for selecting thetemperature to which the bin 16 is to be cooled, but also containstemperature displays, on/off and fast-freeze switches, a lightindicating when the drawer 4 is open and an audible alarm to indicatewhen the drawer 4 has been open longer than a predetermined time or whenthe temperature inside the bin 16 has reached an upper or lowerthreshold.

A rounded handle 34 extends across substantially the entire width of thetop portion of the front face 28 to enable the drawer 4 to be pulled outwhen access to the interior of the bin 16 is required.

The bottom of the front face 28 of each bin 16 is bordered by a slot 36that, as will be described, admits ambient air into the cabinet 6. To doso, each slot 36 communicates with an air gap 38 extending beneath theentire bottom face 40 of the associated bin 16 to meet a void 42maintained behind each bin 16, the void 42 being defined by the innersurfaces of the back 14 and side 12 panels of the cabinet 6 and thebacks 44 of the bins 16. As can be seen particularly from FIG. 4, thevoid 42 extends behind each bin 16 from the base panel 10 of the cabinet6 to communicate with the refrigerator engine compartment 18 at the topof the cabinet 6.

The air gaps 38 beneath the bins 16 and the void 42 behind the bins 16also communicate with air gaps 38 to the sides 48 of the bins 16.Optionally, vents 46 are provided in the side panels 12 of the cabinet 6adjacent to the bins 16 through which ambient air can also be admitted.As best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, air gaps 38 extend around all barthe top side of each bin 16, so that ambient air entering the cabinet 6through the slots 36 can circulate freely around the sides 48, bottom 40and rear 44 of each bin 16. It will also be noted that ambient air cancirculate freely over the top surface 50 of each lid 22. To allow thisairflow over the uppermost lid 22, which does not have a bin 16 above, aslot 36 is provided under the front face 52 of the refrigerator enginecompartment 18.

It will be noted that the piston action created by opening a drawer 4that sucks ambient air into the interior of the appliance 2 does notpose a problem in this invention. In fact, this action is advantageousas it promotes circulation of ambient air within the cabinet 6.

FIG. 4 shows that the refrigerator engine compartment 18 includes animpeller 54 exhausting through apertures 56 provided in the front face52 of the refrigerator engine compartment 18. As best seen in FIG. 1,these apertures 56 extend horizontally across the width of the frontface 52. The impeller 54 communicates with the void 42 behind the bins16 to draw air from the void 42, thus continuously promoting theinduction of ambient air through the slots 36 and the optional sidevents 46. Upon entering the refrigerator engine compartment 18, this airis drawn through the heat-exchange matrix 58 of the condenser.

Accordingly, ambient air entering the cabinet 6 through the front slots36 and, if provided, the side vents 46, leaves the cabinet 6 through theapertures 56 provided in the front face 52 of the refrigerator enginecompartment 18, and so ambient air is circulated through the cabinet 6.More specifically, ambient air enters the appliance 2 where itimmediately comes into contact with the outer surfaces 40, 44, 48 of thebins 16 and warms them to ambient temperature (or substantially so)before being drawn towards the void 42 and then upwards through the void42 by the circulation of the air. The arrows of FIG. 4 demonstrate thiscirculation of air through the appliance 2. Accordingly, the interior ofthe cabinet 6 is kept close to ambient temperature, and only theinterior of each bin 16 is cooled.

By exposing the external surfaces 28, 40, 44, 48 of the bin 16 to warmerair than it contains, there is no problem with condensation on theexternal surfaces 28, 40, 44, 48, and hence no problem with latent heattransfer to the bin 16 or the icing and cross-contamination difficultiesof condensed water entering the cabinet 6.

In any event, cross-contamination would be unlikely to occur becauseeach bin 16 is tightly sealed when its drawer 4 is closed. So, even ifmicrobes enter the cabinet 6, they cannot readily gain access to otherbins 16. It is also unlikely that two bins 16 would be open together atany given time. It would be possible to include means for enforcingthis, for example using a mechanism akin to that used in filing cabinetsfor anti-tilt purposes, by preventing more than one drawer 4 beingopened at a time.

When a bin 16 is open, its open top does not suffer much spillage ofcold air, and when a bin 16 is closed, the horizontal seals 60 apt to beused in the invention are inherently better at sealing-in cold air thanthe vertical seals commonly used in upright refrigerators and freezers.Whilst horizontal seals are known in chest freezers, this invention doesnot suffer the inconvenience and space problems of chest freezers,instead being akin in those respects to the much more popular uprightappliances.

As there has to be a large temperature gradient between the cooled innersurfaces 62 of each bin 16 and its outer surfaces 28, 40, 44, 48, thebins 16 are constructed from an efficient insulating material so thatthe gradient is easily maintained with the outer surfaces 28, 40, 44, 48remaining at, or close to, the ambient temperature. Materials such asphenolic foam or polyurethane foam (optionally skinned with GRP or apolycarbonate in a composite structure) are particularly preferred forthe construction of the bins 16.

If segregation of the contents of a particular bin 16 is required, thatbin 16 may be fitted with removable inserts 64. The inserts 64 are ofvarying shape and dimensions and may be used to define many types ofcompartments. For instance, an insert 64 may be a thin partition with alength corresponding to the length or width of the bin 16 in which it isreceived. An insert 64 may be a box, with or without a lid, or an insert64 may include clips for holding bottles in place or trays for holdingeggs or the like. An insert 64 could also be a wire basket or shelf.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, one or more of the bins 16 can be removed fromthe appliance 2 and fitted with an insulated cover 66. The bin 16 maythen be taken away from the appliance 2, its insulated constructionensuring that it keeps its contents cool for a limited period of time.For instance, the bin 16 may be used as a cool-box, possibly inconjunction with ice-packs to keep the interior cool for as long aspossible. Alternatively, the bin 16 with cover 66 may be kept close tothe appliance 2 to provide added temporary cooled storage capacity,further bins 16 being fitted to the appliance 2 in that event.

It is also possible for a cover 66 to include a fridge engine poweredinternally by batteries or a gas supply or externally by mainselectricity or a vehicle electricity supply.

The drawers 4 and the interaction between the bins 16 and the lids 22are shown in more detail in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. FIG. 5 illustrates thedrawers 4 of the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to4, whereas FIGS. 6 and 7 describe an alternative arrangement. Theircommon features will be described now and their differences will bediscussed later.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 8 show clearly how, when a drawer 4 is in a closedposition, the associated lid 22 closes the open top of the bin 16. Acompressible seal 60 is provided under the lid 22, which seal 60corresponds in size and position to the top edge 68 of the bin 16 thatlies directly beneath the seal 60 when the drawer 4 is closed. The seal60 can have magnetic qualities, for example being electro-magneticallyoperable, or may employ hydraulics or pneumatics as aforesaid. When thebin 16 is closed, the bin 16 compresses the seal 60 to form an airtightseal between the lid 22 and the bin 16. To do so, the bin 16 movesupwardly during the final part of a closing movement. The maindifferences between FIG. 5 on the one hand and FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 on theother hand lie in how this upward movement is achieved.

FIGS. 5 and 6 also show how the bottom of the lid 26 houses a heatexchanger 24 for cooling the interior of the bin 16. The heat exchanger24 is positioned centrally with respect to the bin 16 beneath andoccupies much of the underside area of the lid 22. The bottom surface ofa heat exchanger 24 is flat and generally co-planar with the surroundingbottom surface of the lid 26, ensuring that the entire bottom surface ofthe lid can be wiped clean easily.

The heat exchanger 24 is controlled by a control element on the controland display panel 30 that is recessed into the front edge 32 of the lid22, by which the selected temperature is set, and the heat exchanger 24works accordingly. A temperature sensor is provided (not shown)operating via a feedback loop in well-known manner to alter theoperation of the heat exchanger 24 as required to maintain the selectedtemperature. The heat exchanger 24 is connected to the refrigeratorengine 20 that is also connected to all the other heat exchangers 24 ofthe appliance 2, the system being provided with valve means undercontrol of the various control elements to adjust the cooling effect ofeach heat exchanger 24 as may be necessary to achieve the operationselected by a user.

It will be realised that each bin 16 comprises a separate independentcooled storage area. Accordingly the temperature can be setindependently so that, if desired, a different temperature can be setfor each bin 16. In fact, temperatures can be set below 0° C., so that abin 16 can be used as a freezer or as a refrigerator at the user'soption. In this way, the appliance 2 may function as a combinedrefrigerator and freezer where, advantageously, the ratio ofrefrigerated storage space to frozen storage space can be varied easilyby changing the use of one or more of the bins 16. Of course, it will beappreciated that the drawers 4 can all be used as refrigerators or canall be used as freezers so that, in effect, the appliance 2 becomeseither a dedicated refrigerator or freezer.

It will also be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6 that a screen 70 is provided foreach drawer 16, the screen 70 being made from a thin flexible sheetmaterial. The purpose of the screen 70 is to underlie the otherwiseexposed heat exchanger 24 and the rest of the cold bottom surface 26 ofthe lid 22 when the drawer 4 is open. This is intended to prevent, asmuch as possible, warming of the bottom surface 26 of the lid 22 orcooling of the substantially ambient-temperature air within the cabinet6.

In the embodiments illustrated, as a drawer 4 is closed, the screen 70is a flexible sheet that rolls itself onto a reel 72, so that it can bestored compactly within the ambientexposed void 42 at the rear of thebins 16. Each reel 72 is positioned adjacent to the lower rear edge ofeach lid 22, each reel 72 and its associated screen 70 extending acrossthe width of the lid 22.

The front edge 74 of each screen 70 is removably attached to the upperpart of the rear face 44 of the associated bin 16 so that when a drawer4 is opened, the screen 70 is drawn forward with the bin 16. When thedrawer 4 is opened, the screen 70 unrolls from the reel 72 to form aflat surface directly underneath the lid 22. When the drawer 4 isreturned to its closed position, the screen 70 is taken up its reel 72as aforesaid, for which purpose the reel 72 is biased in the rolling-updirection.

Accordingly, only a small volume of air occupies the gap between the lid22 and the screen 70, which is advantageous as this air will be cooledby proximity to the lid 22. The screen 70 is preferably made of silveredor otherwise reflective plastics to suit its purpose of preventing heattransfer from the warm ambient air in the large void left by an opendrawer 16 to the small volume of cold air between the screen 70 and theheat exchanger 24. Consequently, when the drawer 4 is returned to itsclosed position, only a very small volume of cooled air remains in thecabinet 6 when compared with the much larger volume of warm ambient air,causing only a negligible drop in temperature that is soon redressed bythe resumption of ambient air flow into the cabinet 6.

Although designed to be heat-reflective and insulating, the underside ofa screen 70 is likely to cool to some extent when the associated drawer4 is opened. This may cause condensation or icing on the underside ofthe screen 70. To remove any such condensation or ice, a scraper 76 inthe form of a plastics blade presses against the screen 70 where it istaken up onto the reel 72. When the drawer 4 is closed, the screen 70runs over the scraper 76 and any condensed water or ice runs down theunderside of the scraper 76 to be collected in a drain 78.

There is a minor difference in this respect between FIG. 5 and FIGS. 6and 8 in that FIG. 5 shows the scraper 76 and drain 78 but FIGS. 6 and 8do not. However, as will be clear, the scraper 76 and drain 78 couldequally well be applied to the embodiments of FIGS. 6 and 7 and FIG. 8if needs be.

Further to minimise loss of cold air and cooling of ambient air,shut-down means are provided to switch off a heat exchanger 24 when theassociated drawer 4 is open. These means can include a contact switch(not shown) positioned at the rear of the lid 22 so that the back 44 ofa bin 16 presses against the switch to close the switch when the drawer4 is closed. When the drawer 4 is opened, the contact is broken and theheat exchanger 24 is switched off until the drawer 4 is closed oncemore. This facility is particularly useful when a bin 16 is removed fromthe appliance 2 for a period of time, so that the user does not have toremember to turn off the associated heat exchanger 24.

Referring now to the features specific to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to5, the mechanism for opening and closing a drawer 4 comprises a pair ofrails 80, 82 provided on each side 48 of a bin 16 to hold the bin 16when the drawer 4 is open. The rails 80, 82 are attached to the sidepanels 12 of the cabinet 6 and are disposed one above another on eachside of the bin 16 as best shown in FIG. 3.

Four wheels 84, 86 are mounted to the sides 48 of the bin 16 to engagewith the respective rails 80, 82. These wheels 84, 86 are only shown onthe lower bin 16 of FIG. 5 and are disposed in two pairs, one front pair84, and one rear pair 86, the front pair 84 being at a lower level thanrear pair 86 so that the rear pair 86 engages the upper rails 80 and thefront pair 84 engages the lower rails 82. Only one wheel of each pair84, 86 can be seen in the side view of FIG. 5.

The lower rails 82, at least, are telescopic so as to remain engagedwith the front wheels 84 when the drawer 4 is open. All of the rails 80,82 terminate at their rear ends in an elevated portion 88 behind a ramp90 whereby, when a drawer 4 is being closed, the wheels 84, 86 travelrearwardly along the respective rails 80, 82 and up the ramps 90 ontothe elevated portions 88. In this way, the bin 16 moves upwardly nearthe end of its horizontal reaward travel so that its top edge 68 isforced upwards to compress the associated seal 60. Conversely, when thewheels 84, 86 travel forwardly along the rails 80, 82 as the drawer 4 isbeing opened, the wheels 80, 82 travel back down the ramps 90 to clearthe bin 16 from the seal 60.

The bin 16 optionally also includes four lower wheels 92, 94 mounted atthe bottom 40 of the bin 16. These lower wheels 92, 94 are again onlyshown on the lower bin 16 of FIG. 5 and are disposed in two pairs, onefront pair 92 and one rear pair 94. As before, only one lower wheel ofeach pair 92, 94 can be seen in the side view of FIG. 5.

The lower wheels 92, 94 run upon a supporting surface being the top of alid 22 beneath or, in the case of the bottom drawer 4 that does not havea lid 22 beneath, the top surface of the base panel 10.

When a drawer 4 is being closed, the lower wheels 92, 94 travelrearwardly along the supporting surface. When the drawer 4 is almostclosed, each wheel 92, 94 travels up a ramp 96 (only a rear ramp 96 canbe seen in FIG. 5), supporting the upward movement of the bin 16 nearthe end of its horizontal rearward travel.

Turning now to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, many features areshared with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5 and so like numerals are usedfor like parts. As before, telescopic rails 100 support the openeddrawer 4 but, in this instance, the rails 100 are adapted to permitremoval of a bin 16 from the appliance 2. To this end, the bins 16 areprovided with two lugs 102 on each side that are received within twocorrespondingly-shaped slots 104 in the rail 100. The lugs 102 and slots104 extend vertically and have a rounded bottom edge 106: the roundedbottom edge 106 of the lug 102 assists in locating the lugs 102 into theslots 104 when a bin 16 is being returned to the appliance 2.

The telescopic rails 100 are of a two-piece construction. An outer rail108 is attached to the adjacent side panel 12 of the cabinet 6 and soremains stationary in use, whilst an inner rail 110 that includes theslots 104 travels back and forward as the drawer 4 is opened and closed.As the rails 100 reside within the interior of the cabinet 6 thatremains at or near to the ambient temperature, there is no problem ofice formation that could jam the sliding movement of the rails 100.

When a drawer 4 if fully or partially closed, its bin 16 is alsosupported from below by four rollers 112, 114 mounted on top of the lid22 beneath the bin 16, except in the case of the lowest drawer 4 wherethe rollers 112, 114 are mounted on top of the bottom panel 10 of thecabinet 6, immediately beneath the lowest drawer 4. The rollers 112, 114are of a diameter sufficient to span the air gap 38 beneath each bin 16,and are disposed in two pairs, one front pair 112 and one rear pair 114.

As seen in the plan view of FIG. 7, the front pair of rollers 112 arerelatively close together and are aligned with parallel grooves 116provided in the underside 40 of the bin 16, the grooves 116 extendingfrom the back edge of the underside 40 to near the front edge of theunderside 40, terminating in an inclined end face 118. The grooves 116receive the front pair of rollers 112 when the drawer 4 is open, asshown in the lower drawer 4 of FIG. 6. It will also be noted that thebin 16 is clear of the rear pair of rollers 114 in this position. Asnone of the rollers 112, 114 bear against the bin 16 in this position,its weight is supported fully by the rails 100 and the lugs 102 areseated against the base of the slots 104.

When the drawer 4 is closed, the bin 16 travels horizontally backwardson its rails 100, initially without the rollers 112, 114 making contactwith the underside 40 of the bin 16. When the drawer 4 is nearly closed,however, the rear rollers 114 make contact with the rounded lower rearedge 120 of the bin 16. The grooves 116 are of such a length that as therear rollers 114 make contact with the lower rear edge 120 of the bin16, the front rollers 112 make contact with the inclined end faces 118of the grooves 116. Consequently, as the drawer 4 is pushed further backtowards its closed position, the rounded lower back edge 120 of the bin16 and the inclined end faces 118 of the grooves 116 ride up and overthe rollers 112, 114 so that the bin 16 is lifted upwards. The lugs 102ride up their slots 104 to permit this movement, whereupon the top edge68 of the bin 16 is forced against the compressible seal 60. In thisposition, the weight of the bin 16 and its contents is removed from therails 100, the rollers 112, 114 bearing the weight instead.

In reverse, when the drawer 4 is opened, the bin 16 moves downwards andforwards as the lower rear edge 120 clears the rear rollers 114 and thefront rollers 112 are received again in the grooves 116. Once clear ofthe rollers 112, 114, the bin 16 supported on the rails 100 can travelfreely to its fully open position with the support of the rails 100.

When the bins 16 are removed from and returned to the appliance 2, bothoperations are performed with the drawer 4 in its fully open positionwith the screen 70, if any, fully extended. To allow removal of the bin16, the front edge 74 of the screen 70 is disengaged from the bin 16 andis held by retaining means in the form of a clip or other suitableretaining formation (not shown) depending from the lid 22.

Referring now to the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, many features areshared with the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 7 and so, again, like numeralsare used for like parts. The embodiment of FIG. 8 most closely resemblesthat of FIGS. 6 and 7, in that similar carriage and sealing mechanismsare used. This includes the inner 110 and outer 108 rails of thatembodiment.

The principal difference with the embodiment of FIG. 8 is how the bins16 are removably mounted to their associated drawers 4. It will be seenthat the inner rails 110 are attached to side arms 122 of a cradle 124that surrounds and embraces the lower portion of a bin 16, to which endthe cradle 124 also has front and back retaining members 126 and basesupports 128.

A bin 16 is installed into a cradle 124 when its drawer 4 in its openposition. The base 40 of the bin 16 rests on the supports 128 with thesides 44 of the bin 16 being retained within the retaining members 126and arms 122. With the drawer in the open position, the bin 16 sitsfully within the cradle 124 so that the top 68 of the bin 16 clears theseal 60 and so that the rollers 112 are received in the grooves 116.

As in the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, the bin 16 travels rearward intothe cabinet 6 when the drawer 4 is closed and, when nearly in its closedposition, the passage of the rounded lower edge 120 of the bin 16 andthe inclined end faces 118 of the grooves 116 over the rollers 112, 114lifts the bin 16 up to compress the seal 60. As the bin 16 is lifted, itrises within the cradle 124 and is supported by the rollers 112, 114alone.

Whilst a screen is not shown in FIG. 8, this embodiment allows,advantageously, the front edge 74 of a screen 70 to be attached to partof the cradle 124 of its associated drawer 4. In this way, the screen 70may be left attached to the cradle 124 at all times, irrespective ofwhether or not a bin 16 is still within the cradle 124, so that there isno need to engage or disengage the screen 70 from the bin 16 whenever abin 16 is placed in or removed from the drawer 4.

FIGS. 9(a), 9(b) and 9(c) show a variant of the invention in which ahinged door 130 defining the front wall of a drawer 4 of the appliancecan be opened from the vertical to the horizontal to allow the bin 16 tobe slid forwardly and removed from the drawer 4 without lifting. Thedoor 130 is hinged along its lower edge to swing down through 90° asshown in FIG. 9(b) when a handrail 132 on the top front edge of the door130 is pulled. The drawer 4 can then be opened as normal by pulling onthe handrail 132.

As before, the drawer 4 runs on telescopic rails 100 (only one beingvisible in side view) but, in this case, the forward end of each rail100 carries a respective slotted guide 134 defining a slot 136 thatextends up and down, orthogonally with respect to the telescopingdirection of the rail 100. A link 138 is pivotally attached at a firstend to the door 130 near the upper edge behind the handrail 132. Theopposed second end of the link 138 is constrained to run in the slot 136defined by the guide 134 so that when the door 130 is closed as shown inFIG. 9(a), the second end lies at or near the bottom end of the slot 136and when the door 130 is open as shown in FIG. 9(b), the second endabuts the top of the slot 136. This abutment suitably prevents the door130 opening beyond 90° and so holds the open door 130 horizontal in amanner capable of supporting the weight of a loaded bin 16 as shown inFIG. 9(c).

As the second end of the link 138 moves upwardly along the slot 136 inthe guide 134 while the door 130 opens, the link 138 pulls the guide134, and hence the attached end of the rail 100, forwardly together withthe bin 16 carried by the rail 100. This is shown in FIG. 9(b).Nevertheless, forward movement of the bin 16 can continue as shown inFIG. 9(c) which shows the bin 16 being removed simply by sliding it outfrom the extended rails 100, using the horizontal rear surface of theopen door 130 as a support for the continued sliding movement of the bin16.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show top-sealing variants in which further means areprovided to assist compression of the seal 60 by lifting the bin 16 asit closes. The variant of FIG. 10 also employs means to bias the drawers4 into the closed position, both functions being performed elegantly inFIG. 10 by using gravity to close the drawer 4 and to compress the seal60. Specifically, the FIG. 10 variant contemplates mounting the drawers4 on inclined runners, rails or supports 140 that tilt downwardlytowards the rear of the appliance so that the drawer 4 tends to sliderearwardly down the incline into the closed position. This incline (thesteepness of which is much exaggerated in FIG. 10 for the purposes ofillustration) therefore serves to bias the drawer 4 from the openposition of the lower drawer 4 of FIG. 10 into the closed position ofthe upper drawer 4 of Figure 10.

It will also be noted from FIG. 10 that the lid 22 and the opposedrunners, rails or supports 140 are not parallel: the distance betweenthem lessens going rearwardly, defining a rearwardly narrowing, taperinggap that accommodates the bin 16 when the drawer 4 is closed as shown inthe upper drawer 4 of FIG. 10. The result is that although the bin 16slides downwardly in absolute terms as it moves rearwardly, the bin 16also moves relatively upwardly in relation to the lid 22 in a ramping orwedging action and so compresses the seal as the drawer 4 closes.

In the variant of FIGS. 11(a) to 11(d), a crank 142 assists lifting abin 16 into sealing engagement with a horizontal top seal 60 as thedrawer 4 is closed. The crank 142 associated with a particular drawer 4is pivotally attached to the lid 22 of the drawer 4 below, and standsproud of the lid 22 near its rear end. More specifically, the crank 142stands in the path of the bin 16 so as to engage the rear of a bin 16 asthe associated drawer 4 nears its fully closed position.

As best shown in the enlarged views of FIGS. 11(b) to 11(d), the crank142 is generally U-shaped and comprises an L-shaped actuating lever 144attached at a pivot 146 to a lifting arm 148 that terminates in a roller150 to complete the U-shape. The crank 142 is biased into the uprightposition shown in FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b), in which the free end portionof the actuating lever 144 extends forwardly and the lifting arm 148 iscorrespondingly retracted parallel to both the free end portion of theactuating lever 144 and the upper surface of the lid 22. In thatretracted state, the lifting arm 148 and its associated roller 150 lieclose enough to the lid 22 to fit within a gap maintained under the bin16 by a forward roller 152. Consequently, the lower rear edge of arearwardly-moving bin 16 can ride over the roller 150 when the liftingarm 148 is retracted. As it does so, the rear face of the bin 16 bearsagainst the free end portion of the actuating lever 144 as shown in FIG.11(c), simultaneously causing the crank 142 to pivot and the liftingarm/roller 148/150 to rise out of the retracted position, thus liftingthe bin 16 until the drawer 4 is fully closed and the bin 16 is fullylifted as shown in FIG. 11 (d).

The variant of FIG. 12 is akin to that of FIG. 10 in that there is atapering gap between the lid 22 and the rails 100 moving rearwardly, butin this instance the rails 100 are horizontal and only the lid 22 isinclined. The result is that the bin 16 is wedge-shaped to wedge intothe tapering gap as the associated drawer 4 is closed, thereby tocompress a seal 60 between the lid and the bin 16. The seal 60 is keptcompressed by a latch, catch or magnet that prevents the bin 16 movingaway from the lid 22 until it is desired to gain access to the bin 16.FIG. 12 contemplates magnetic seals supplemented by a catch 154 thatengages the front lower edge of the bin 16 when the drawer 4 is closed.

A benefit of the variants of FIGS. 10 and 12 is that the incline of thelid 22 and hence of the evaporator cooling means 24 in the lid 22promotes drainage of moisture condensing on the evaporator 24. A gutter156 is shown in FIG. 12 at the rear of the lid 22 below the evaporator24 to channel water away from the evaporator 24 for removal throughsuitable drainage pipes (not shown).

Whilst generally horizontal top seals 60 between bin 16 and lid havebeen proposed in all of the foregoing embodiments, it is possible toemploy generally vertical side seals in addition or in the alternative.FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b) show a preferred way of making side seals workeffectively in the invention, by making the lid 22 fit within asurrounding rim portion 158 of the bin 16. As can be seen in the planview of FIG. 13(a), the lid 22 tapers toward the front and the rimportion 158 of the bin 16 is correspondingly shaped so that the bin 16can move freely away from the lid 22 as the corresponding drawer 4 isopened, whereas the lid 22 is squeezed within the tapering sides of therim portion 158 as the drawer 4 is closed. This compresses a side seal160 around the vertical external side walls of the lid 22 or within thecorresponding vertical internal side walls of the rim portion 158,effecting good sealing between the lid 22 and the bin 16 as the drawer 4closes. Like the variant of FIG. 12, the seal is kept compressed by alatch, catch or magnet (not shown) that prevents the bin 16 moving awayfrom the lid 22 until it is desired to gain access to the bin 16.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show variants of the invention in which means areprovided to remove ice or moisture from the exposed undersurface of theevaporator cooling means 24 in a lid

The variant of FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) employs a dual-action scrapercomprising a pair of parallel oppositely-angled blades 162 fixed to therear wall 164 of a bin 16 to present their respective scraper edges tothe undersurface of the evaporator 24. As the blades 162 are oppositelyangled with respect to the undersurface of the evaporator 24, the rearblade 162 of the pair removes ice or moisture from the evaporator 24 asthe drawer 4 associated with the bin 16 is opened and the front blade162 of the pair does likewise as the drawer 4 is closed. Ice or drips ofmoisture 166 scraped or wiped from the evaporator 24 fall into a drainpan 168 below the blades 162 from which they can be drained or left tomelt and evaporate.

As in FIG. 14, the further scraper variant of FIG. 15 employs a drainpan 168 fixed to the rear wall 164 of a bin 16 that catches ice or waterfalling from a blade 162 also fixed to the rear wall 164 of the bin 16.A single blade 162 is shown, although a pair of blades 162 as used inFIG. 14 is also possible. However, the FIG. 15 variant differsfundamentally from the FIG. 14 variant in that a flexible membrane 170closely underlies the undersurface of the evaporator 24 so that themembrane 170 serves as the cooling interface between the evaporator 24and the interior of a bin 16. Ice or water will therefore tend tocollect on the membrane 170 rather than on the evaporator 24 itself. Aroller 172 or other transverse rod is fixed to the rear wall 164 of thebin 16 along with the drain pan 168 and the blade 162 so as to travelwith the moving drawer 4 in alignment with and opposed to the blade 162.The roller 172 is supported at its ends to lie between the evaporator 24and the membrane 170 so as to peel the membrane 170 away from theevaporator 24 and to deform the membrane 170 locally in the region ofthe blade 162. This promotes the removal of ice and moisture from themembrane 170 by cracking off any ice and encouraging the formation ofdrips that run into the drain pan 168.

If and when the time comes to defrost the appliance of the invention,FIG. 16 shows how a defrost tray 174 can be seated into the top of a bin16 to catch moisture dripping from the evaporator 24. The tray 174comprises a central recess 176 shaped to sit snugly into the open top ofthe bin 16, surrounded by a peripheral rim 178 that lies on top of thewalls of the bin 16 to bear the load of the tray 174. It is envisagedthat the tray 174 can be placed on top of a bin 16 in this manner whenthe associated drawer 4 is open and the evaporator 24 has been switchedoff (preferably by a microswitch sensing the action of opening thedrawer 4 as aforesaid), whereupon the drawer 4 can be partially closedto an extent necessary to align the tray 174 under the evaporator 24 butnot so far as to trigger the microswitch and so to switch the evaporator24 back on. The switched-off evaporator 24 then slowly defrosts and thetray 174 catches the resulting drips.

It will be noted from FIG. 16 that the rim 178 at the rear of thedefrost tray 174 is extended rearwardly and angled upwardly to define ascraper edge 180 that abuts the underside of the lid 22. The purpose ofthis feature is to scrape any moisture droplets remaining on theunderside of the evaporator 24 when the drawer 4 is opened afterdefrosting. The tray 174 can then be removed and the water in the recess176 poured away.

FIG. 16 illustrates the further refinement of an absorbent pad 182 inthe recess 176 of the defrost tray 124. This pad 182 absorbs free waterin the recess 176 and so makes spillage less likely when the tray 174 isremoved. The pad 182 could be of a heatable material so as to acceleratethe defrosting process, and can be either pre-heated (preferably beingof a microwave-heatable material) or heated in situ by electric or otherheating elements.

Variations are also possible in the layout and nature of the coolingmeans and fridge engine. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, theaforementioned evaporator 24 over each bin 16 can be replaced by a fancoil cooling arrangement in which air is supplied and extracted via aremote fan coil unit. Specifically, a heat exchanger 184 is cooled by acooling system 186 to extract heat from air circulated by a fan 188. Thecold air exhausting from the heat exchanger 184 is fed into the closedbin 16 and warmer air is extracted from the bin 16 by the fan 188 to becooled by the heat exchanger 184 and recirculated. This is the systemused in forced air circulation refrigerators and so-called ‘frost free’freezers, and has the advantage that the majority of condensed water andice can be dealt with outside the cooled compartment. For example, theheat exchanger 184 may employ an automatic defrost facility in whichmoisture drips into a drain tray 190 under the heat exchanger 184 whenthe heat exchanger 184 is shut down periodically.

Potentially, therefore, features such as the scraper blades 162 anddefrost tray 174 of the preceding variants can be eliminated.

Whilst shown applied to a single bin 16 in FIG. 17 for clarity, a fancoil cooling arrangement may similarly be applied to a plurality of bins16. The bins 16 can be connected by a common manifold and share the samecirculating air, but for reasons of cross-contamination it is preferredthat each bin 16 has a separate circulation path although these canshare a common heat exchanger. However, wholly separate circulationpaths would aid the preferred objective of independent temperaturecontrol in each bin 16.

FIGS. 18 and 19 show another variant in which a bin 16 and its lid 22are adapted to promote drainage of condensation from the evaporator 24.To this end, as best shown in FIG. 19, the evaporator 24 is dished onits underside to define a square central depression housing atemperature sensor 192 surrounded by four facets 194 extendingdownwardly and outwardly at a pitch of approximately 5°. The pitch ofthe facets 194 is such as to lead condensed moisture on the evaporator24 outwardly under force of gravity to drip into a gutter 196 (FIG. 18)formed by a groove provided in the upper peripheral wall of the bin 16.

FIG. 18 shows that each gutter 196 comprises two inclined portions 198each leading downwardly to a shared drainage conduit 200 thatcommunicates through a J-bend in the wall of the bin 16 to externaldrainage pipes (not shown).

In all of the above embodiments, viewing means may be provided to assista user in viewing the contents of any bin 16 that is too high to beviewed easily from above through its open top. At its simplest, a windowmay be provided in the front and/or bottom of a bin 16. Another way ofviewing the contents would be to place a mirror above the open bin 16,the mirror being angled to provide a view from above the bin 16 eventhough the user's eye line is below the mirror and possibly also belowthe bin 16. Preferably, the mirror is retractable when not needed foruse, for example being hinged to the front panel 52 of the refrigeratorengine compartment 18—the mirror can even constitute that panel 52—orbeing foldable out of the front of a bin 16. Even if the bin 16 is alittle above the user's head, the benefit of a view from above meansthat it will usually be possible to reach into the bin 16 to access itscontents as desired.

Referring finally to FIGS. 20(a), 20(b) and 20(c), these show how theinventive concept can be scaled up to encompass bulk storage in a coldstore and commercial transportation in a refrigerated vehicle. FIG.20(a) shows a vehicle 202 carrying a standardised refrigerated storagecontainer 204 that is akin to the bins 16 of the preceding embodiments,being an insulated container defined by normally-closed walls having anopen top closed by an openable insulated lid 206 that preferablyincludes a cooling means in the form of a roof-mounted refrigeratorengine 208. As shown in FIG. 20(b), the lid 206 can be opened so thatgoods 210 can be loaded and unloaded from above using an overhead gantrycrane 212 without losing cold air from the container 204. A furtheradvantage is that the entire plan area of the container 204 can beaccessed readily by the crane 212 rather than relying for access upon arestricted door in the rear or side of the container 204.

FIG. 20(c) shows how full containers 204 can be left without lids in therefrigerated environment of a cold store 214, which may be a building asshown or some other refrigerated storage facility such as a ship's cargohold. The associated lids 206 and refrigerator engines 208 can be usedelsewhere during that storage period. If containers 204 are stacked, acontainer 204 can serve as the lid 206 for the container 204 below. Whenrequired, a container 204 can be fitted with a lid 206 and refrigeratorengine 208 and lifted on to a suitable vehicle 202 for transportwherever necessary.

Many other variations are possible within the inventive concept. Forexample, rather than employing the vertical array of drawers 4 common tothe embodiments described above, a side-by-side arrangement of drawers 4is also contemplated. Indeed, it is possible to have any number ofdrawers, from one upwards, and to have any desired arrangement ofdrawers.

The configuration of air gaps 38 around the bins 16 may be variedwithout departing from the inventive concept. Furthermore, thecirculation of air around the interior of the cabinet 6 can be assistedin several ways.

Whilst the bins 16 described above are largely rectangular in shape asthis is optimally space-efficient, any polygonal or rounded shape may beadopted, even a hemisphere. Of course, a wide variety of bin sizes anddepths is possible within the inventive concept.

The construction of the bins 16 may also be varied: whilst solid-walledbins 16 fabricated from insulating material have been described, it maybe desirable to adopt a vacuum design; i.e. to use double-walled bins,the two walls being separated by a partial vacuum or merely aninsulating medium of trapped air.

Whilst a roll-out screen 70 is described in the foregoing specificembodiments, it is only one solution to the problem of providing aretractable screen. Other variations include folded sheets thatconcertina upon closing a drawer, or a telescopic stack of sheets thatslide apart so that the end of one sheet pulls the front of the nextsheet as they are pulled from the stack.

In addition, whilst using a scraper 76 is a convenient method ofremoving condensation from the screen 70, other methods are possible.Most simply, water can be allowed to drain from the screen 70 of its ownaccord, to be collected in a suitably positioned tray.

Instead of providing a dedicated control and display panel 30 for eachbin 16, all of the bins 16 could be controlled by a single centralcontrol and display panel 30. Further, whilst it is preferred that allof the bins 16 are individually controllable whether by a single sharedpanel 30 or by a plurality of dedicated panels 30, it is possible withinthe inventive concept to predetermine the bin temperatures of amulti-bin appliance. The predetermined temperatures may vary from bin tobin to provide zones for storage of different items, or two or more binsmay share the same temperature or function. For example, it would bepossible to designate a multi-bin appliance as all refrigerator or allfreezer if one wished to do so, although the possibility remains ofvarying temperature within the typical refrigerator or freezertemperature range if desired.

The invention lends itself to manual or automatic operation of openingand closing movements. Automatic operation may, for example, assistopening of the gravity-closing variant of FIG. 10.

It is also possible for a partial vacuum to be applied to a closed binso as to remove oxygen and other gases and enzymes, thereby to slowproduct degradation.

In general, therefore, reference should be made to the appended claimsand other general statements herein rather than to the foregoingspecific description as indicating the scope of the invention. Ininterpreting the invention, it should be understood that althoughfeatures of the illustrated enbodiments have been described incombination with each other and although such combinations may haveadvantages of their own, many of those features can be appliedindependently. So, those features are considered to be independentlypatentable whether within or beyond the inventive concepts expressedherein.

1. A cold-storage appliance including: an open-topped Insulatingcontainer defining an external surface; an insulating lid adapted toclose the open top of the container; a cooling means adapted to cool theinterior but not the exterior of the container, said cooling meansintroducing cooling by way of said insulating lid; and a structuresupporting the container, the lid and the cooling means; wherein thecontainer is mounted to the structure for movement relative to thestructure and the lid to open the container and afford access to itsinterior or to close the container, and wherein at least a majority ofthe external surface of the container is exposed to ambient air when thecontainer is closed by the lid.
 2. The appliance of claim 1, whereinsaid movement includes a major generally horizontal component ofmovement provided by means running along at least one generallyhorizontal track.
 3. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the trackincludes at least one rail.
 4. The appliance of claim 3, wherein the oreach rail is telescopic.
 5. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the trackis exposed to ambient air.
 6. The appliance of claim 1 wherein saidcontainer is supported by wheels or rollers running along a generallyhorizontal support surface and said movement includes a major generallyhorizontal component.
 7. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the coolingmeans is substantially flush with the underside of the lid.
 8. Theappliance of claim 1, wherein the structure is a frame which is adaptedto be built-in between cupboards or other structures.
 9. The applianceof claim 1, wherein the structure defines at least one ambient aircirculation channel around the external surface of the closed container.10. The appliance of claim 1, further including a means for drawing inambient air from the front of the appliance and wherein said structuredefines a front panel including at least one opening for admission ofambient air.
 11. The appliance of claim 1, further including a means fordividing the interior of the container.
 12. The appliance of claim 1,wherein the cooling means includes an evaporator exposed to the interiorof the container when the container is closed.
 13. The appliance ofclaim 1, the cooling means includes cold air ducts to feed cold air intothe container when the container is closed.
 14. The appliance of claim13, wherein the cold air is supplied by a fan coil circuit.
 15. Theappliance of claim 6, wherein the support surface is exposed to ambientair.
 16. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the cooling means is integralwith the lid.
 17. The appliance of claim 10, wherein the front panelfurther comprises control and/or display means.
 18. A cold-storageappliance including: an open-topped insulating container defining anexternal surface; an insulating lid adapted to close the open top of thecontainer; a cooling means adapted to cool the interior but not theexterior of the container; and a structure supporting the container, thelid and the cooling means; wherein the container is mounted to thestructure for movement relative to the structure and the lid to open thecontainer and afford access to its interior or to close the container,said movement including a minor generally vertical component, saidmounting permitting said generally vertical movement, and wherein atleast a majority of the external surface of the container is exposed toambient air when the container is closed by the lid.
 19. The applianceof claim 18, wherein the container lifts against the lid upon closingand drops away from the lid upon opening.
 20. The appliance of claim 18,wherein the track or support surface includes a ramp effecting saidvertical component of movement.
 21. The appliance of claim 18, andincluding crank means responsive to closing movement of the container tolift the container toward the lid.
 22. A cold-storage applianceincluding: an open-topped insulating container defining an externalsurface; an insulating lid adapted to close the open top of thecontainer; a cooling means adapted to cool the interior but not theexterior of the container; and a structure supporting the container, thelid and the cooling means; wherein the container is mounted to thestructure for movement relative to the structure and the lid to open thecontainer and afford access to its interior or to close the container,wherein at least a majority of the external surface of the container isexposed to ambient air when the container is closed by the lid, andwherein closing movement of the container with respect to the structureand the lid wedges together the container and the lid, said wedgingbeing effected by a track or support surface supporting the containerthat converges with the lid in the closing direction of the container.23. The appliance of claim 22, wherein the lid is received and embracedby a rim portion of the container that squeezes the lid laterally whenthe container and the lid wedge together.
 24. The appliance of claim 22,wherein the lid and the rim portion are complementarily tapered.
 25. Theappliance of claim 22, comprising holding means for holding thecontainer wedged against the lid.
 26. A cold-storage applianceincluding: an open-topped insulating container defining an externalsurface; an insulating lid adapted to close the open top of thecontainer; a magnetic, hydraulic, or pneumatic seal that seals thecontainer to the lid when the container is closed; a cooling meansadapted to cool the interior but not the exterior of the container; anda structure supporting the container, the lid and the cooling means;wherein the container is mounted to the structure for movement relativeto the structure and the lid to open the container and afford access toits interior or to close the container, and wherein at least a majorityof the external surface of the container is exposed to ambient air whenthe container is closed by the lid.
 27. The appliance of claim 26,wherein the seal is compressible.
 28. The appliance of claim 26, whereinthe seal is electro-magnetic.
 29. A cold-storage appliance including: anopen-topped insulating container defining an external surface: aninsulating lid adapted to close the open top of the container, a coolingmeans adapted to cool the interior but not the exterior of thecontainer; and a structure supporting the container, the lid and thecooling means; wherein the container is mounted to the structure formovement relative to the structure and the lid to open the container andafford access to its interior or to close the container, said openingmovement being against the force of gravity, and wherein at least amajority of the external surface of the container is exposed to ambientair when the container is closed by the lid.
 30. A cold-storageappliance including: an open-topped insulating container defining anexternal surface; an insulating lid adapted to close the open top of thecontainer; a cooling means adapted to cool the interior but not theexterior of the container; and a structure supporting the container, thelid and the cooling means; wherein the container is mounted to thestructure for movement relative to the structure and the lid to open thecontainer and afford access to its interior or to close the container,and wherein substantially all of the external surface of the containeris exposed to ambient air when the container is closed by the lid andthe appliance is in use.
 31. A cold-storage appliance including: anopen-topped insulating container defining an external surface; aninsulating lid adapted to close the open top of the container; a coolingmeans adapted to cool the Interior but not the exterior of thecontainer; a structure supporting the container, the lid and the coolingmeans; and a scraper or wiper means associated with the container toremove ice or water from the cooling means upon relative movementbetween the container and the lid; wherein the container is mounted tothe structure for said movement relative to the structure and the lid toopen the container and afford access to its interior or to close thecontainer, and wherein at least a majority of the external surface ofthe container is exposed to ambient air when the container is closed bythe lid.
 32. The appliance of claim 31, and including first and secondscraper or wiper blades arranged respectively to remove ice or waterfrom the cooling means during opening and closing of the container. 33.A cold-storage appliance including: an open-topped insulating containerdefining an external surface; an insulating lid adapted to close theopen top of the container; a cooling means adapted to cool the interiorbut not the exterior of the container; and a structure supporting thecontainer, the lid and the cooling means; wherein the container ismounted to the structure for movement relative to the structure and thelid to open the container and afford access to its interior or to closethe container, wherein at least a majority of the external surface ofthe container is exposed to ambient air when the container is closed bythe lid, and further including a flexible membrane associated with thecooling means and means for locally deforming the membrane to remove iceor water from the membrane upon relative movement between the containerand the lid.
 34. A cold-storage appliance including: an open-toppedinsulating container defining an external surface; an insulating lidadapted to close the open top of the container; a cooling means adaptedto cool the interior but not the exterior of the container; a structuresupporting the container, the lid and the cooling means; and a shut-downmeans for shutting down the cooling means when the container is notclosed; wherein the container is mounted to the structure for movementrelative to the structure and the lid to open the container and affordaccess to its interior or to close the container, and wherein at least amajority of the external surface of the container is exposed to ambientair when the container is closed by the lid.
 35. The appliance of claim34, wherein the shut-down means includes a switch closed by presence ofthe container.
 36. A cold-storage appliance including: an open-toppedinsulating container defining an external surface; an insulating lidadapted to close the open top of the container; a cooling means adaptedto cool the interior but not the exterior of the container; a structuresupporting the container, the lid and the cooling means; and aretractable screen which is extensible to screen the cooling means whenthe container is open; wherein the container is mounted to the structurefor movement relative to the structure and the lid to open the containerand afford access to its interior or to close the container, and whereinat least a majority of the external surface of the container is exposedto ambient air when the container is closed by the lid.
 37. Theappliance of claim 36, wherein the screen is attached at one end to thestructure and at an opposed end to the container or to means associatedwith the container.
 38. The appliance of claim 36, wherein the screen isremovably attached to the means associated with the container.
 39. Theappliance of claim 38, further including retaining means for retainingthe screen in a wholly or partially extended configuration when thescreen is detached from the container.
 40. The appliance of claim 36,wherein the screen is exposed to ambient air when retracted.
 41. Theappliance of claim 36, wherein the screen is furled on a roller whenretracted.
 42. The appliance of claim 36, wherein the screen isheat-reflective.
 43. The appliance of claim 36, wherein a wiper orscraper is operable during retraction of the screen to remove water orice from the screen.
 44. The appliance of claim 36, wherein the screenis biased into a retracted configuration.
 45. The appliance of claim 1,further including a means for exhausting to the front of the applianceair that has been heated by a heat exchanger.
 46. The appliance of claim36, wherein the container is removable from the structure and anauxiliary lid is attachable to the container when so removed, whereinthe retractable screen is attached at one end to the structure and at anopposed end to the container or to a movable cradle adapted to receivethe container.
 47. A cold-storage appliance including: an open-toppedinsulating container defining an external surface; an insulating lidadapted to close the open top of the container; a cooling means adaptedto cool the interior but not the exterior of the container; a structuresupporting the container, the lid and the cooling means; and an impellerfor promoting admission and exhaustion of ambient air; wherein thecontainer is mounted to the structure for movement relative to thestructure and the lid to open the container and afford access to itsinterior or to close the container, and wherein at least a majority ofthe external surface of the container is exposed to ambient air when thecontainer is closed by the lid.
 48. A cold-storage appliance including:an open-topped insulating container defining an external surface; aninsulating lid adapted to close the open top of the container; a coolingmeans adapted to cool the interior but not the exterior of thecontainer; and a structure supporting the container, the lid and thecooling means; wherein the container is mounted to the structure formovement relative to the structure and the lid to open the container andafford access to its interior or to close the container, wherein atleast a majority of the external surface of the container is exposed toambient air when the container is closed by the lid, wherein saidcontainer is removable from the structure and an auxiliary lid isattachable to the container when so removed.
 49. A cold-storageappliance including: an open-topped insulating container defining anexternal surface; an insulating lid adapted to close the open top of thecontainer; a cooling means adapted to cool the interior but not theexterior of the container; a structure supporting the container, the lidand the cooling means; and a means for exhausting ambient air to thefront of the appliance; wherein the container is mounted to thestructure for movement relative to the structure and the lid to open thecontainer and afford access to its interior or to close the container,and wherein at least a majority of the external surface of the containeris exposed to ambient air when the container is closed by the lid.
 50. Acold-storage appliance including: an open-topped insulating containerdefining an external surface; an insulating lid adapted to close theopen top of the container; a cooling means adapted to cool the interiorbut not the exterior of the container; and a structure supporting thecontainer, the lid and the cooling means; wherein the container ismounted to the structure such that it can be moved with respect to thestructure and the lid in a plurality of different directions to open thecontainer and afford access to Its interior or to close the container,and wherein at least a majority of the external surface of the containeris exposed to ambient air when the container is closed by the lid.
 51. Acold-storage appliance including: a plurality of open-topped insulatingcontainers defining an external surface; an insulating lid associatedwith each container and adapted to close the open top of said eachcontainer; a cooling means associated with each container and adapted tocool the interior but not the exterior of said each container; and astructure supporting the containers, the lids and the cooling means;wherein each container is mounted to the structure for movement relativeto the structure and its respective lid to open said each container andafford access to its interior or to dose said each container, andwherein at least a majority of the external surface of said eachcontainer is exposed to ambient air when it is closed by its respectivelid.
 52. The appliance of claim 51, wherein the respective cooling meansare independently controllable.
 53. The appliance of claim 51, whereinthe cooling means are connected to a common refrigerator engine.
 54. Theappliance of claim 51, wherein the containers are stacked one aboveanother.
 55. The appliance of claim 51, further including means forpreventing opening of a container when another container of theplurality is open.
 56. The appliance of claim 51, wherein the containersare of different interior sizes, shapes or volumes.
 57. A cold-storageappliance including: an open-topped insulating container defining anexternal surface; an insulating lid adapted to close the open top of thecontainer; a viewing means to assist a user In viewing the contents of acontainer; a cooling means adapted to cool the interior but not theexterior of the container; and a structure supporting the container, thelid and the cooling means; wherein the container is mounted to thestructure for movement relative to the structure and the lid to open thecontainer and afford access to its interior or to close the container,and wherein at least a majority of the external surface of the containeris exposed to ambient air when the container is closed by the lid. 58.The appliance of claim 57, wherein a viewing window is provided in thefront and/or bottom of a container.
 59. The appliance of claim 57, andincluding a viewing mirror positioned above the container to afford areflected view from above the container into its open top.
 60. Theappliance of claim 59, wherein the mirror is retractable when not inuse.
 61. The appliance of claim 60, wherein the mirror is attached tothe container.
 62. The appliance of claim 60, and having a plurality ofcontainers, wherein the mirror is positioned above the containers toview the contents of any of the containers.
 63. A cold-storage applianceincluding: an open-topped insulating container defining an externalsurface; an insulating lid adapted to close the open top of thecontainer; a cooling means adapted to cool the interior but not theexterior of the container; a defrost tray positionable in the containerbelow the cooling means; and a structure supporting the container, thelid and the cooling means; wherein the container is mounted to thestructure for movement relative to the structure and the lid to open thecontainer and afford access to its interior or to close the container,and wherein at least a majority of the external surface of the containeris exposed to ambient air when the container is closed by the lid. 64.The appliance of claim 63, wherein the defrost tray includes a scraperor wiper means to remove ice or water from the cooling means uponrelative movement between the container and the lid.
 65. The applianceof claim 63, wherein the defrost tray includes an absorbent insert. 66.The appliance of claim 65, wherein the insert is heatable.
 67. Acold-storage appliance including: an open-topped insulating containerdefining an external surface; an insulating lid adapted to close theopen top of the container; a cooling means adapted to cool the interiorbut not the exterior of the container, said cooling means beinggenerally inclined or having locally inclined portions to promotedrainage of moisture condensed thereon away from the interior of thecontainer; and a structure supporting the container, the lid and thecooling means; wherein the container is mounted to the structure formovement relative to the structure and the lid to open the container andafford access to its interior or to close the container, and wherein atleast a majority of the external surface of the container is exposed toambient air when the container is closed by the lid.
 68. The applianceof claim 67, wherein the cooling means communicates with ducts in thelid or the container for drainage of moisture away from the coolingmeans.
 69. A cold-storage appliance embodied in a refrigerated vehicleapplication, said appliance including: an open-topped insulatingcontainer defining an external surface; an insulating lid adapted toclose the open top of the container; a cooling means adapted to cool theinterior but not the exterior of the container; and a structuresupporting the container, the lid and the cooling means; wherein thecontainer is mounted to the structure for movement relative to thestructure and the lid to open the container and afford access to Itsinterior or to close the container, and wherein at least a majority ofthe external surface of the container is exposed to ambient air when thecontainer is closed by the lid.
 70. The appliance of claim 69, andwherein the application is a vehicle-mountable container.
 71. Acold-storage appliance including: an open-topped insulating containerdefining an external surface; an insulating lid adapted to close theopen top of the container; a cooling means adapted to cool the interiorbut not the exterior of the container; and a structure supporting thecontainer, the lid and the cooling means; wherein the container ismounted to the structure for movement relative to the structure,relative to the cooling means and relative to the lid to open thecontainer and afford access to its interior or to close the container,and wherein at least a majority of the external surface of the containeris exposed to ambient air when the container is closed by the lid. 72.The appliance of claim 71, wherein said movement of the containerincludes a major generally horizontal component of movement provided bymeans running along at least one generally horizontal track.
 73. Theappliance of claim 71, wherein the container is supported by wheels orrollers running along a generally horizontal support surface.
 74. Theappliance of claim 71, wherein substantially all of the external surfaceof the container is exposed to ambient air when the container is closedby the lid.
 75. The appliance of claim 71, wherein the structure is aframe which is adapted to be built-in between cupboards or otherstructures.
 76. The appliance of claim 71, further including a means fordrawing in ambient air from the front of the appliance and wherein saidstructure defines a front panel including at least one opening foradmission of ambient air.
 77. The appliance of claim 71, furtherincluding a means for dividing the interior of the container.
 78. Theappliance of claim 71, wherein the structure defines at least oneambient air circulation channel around the external surface of theclosed container.
 79. The appliance of claim 71, and including a meansfor exhausting to the front of the appliance air that has been heated bya heat exchanger.
 80. A cold-storage appliance including: an open-toppedinsulating container defining an external surface; an insulating lidadapted to close the open top of the container; a cooling means adaptedto cool the interior but not the exterior of the container; and astructure supporting the container, the lid and the cooling means;wherein the container is mounted to the structure for movement relativeto the structure and the lid to open the container and afford access toits interior or to close the container, said movement including a majorgenerally horizontal component which is effected by opening a door ofthe appliance, and wherein at least a majority of the external surfaceof the container is exposed to ambient air when the container is closedby the lid.
 81. A cold-storage appliance including: an open-toppedinsulating container defining an external surface; an insulating lidadapted to close the open top of the container; a cooling means adaptedto cool the interior but not the exterior of the container; a means fordrawing in ambient air from the front of the appliance; a means forexhausting ambient air to the front of the appliance; and a structuresupporting the container, the lid and the cooling means, said structuredefining a front panel including at least one opening for admission ofambient air; wherein the container is mounted to the structure formovement relative to the structure and the lid to open the container andafford access to its interior or to close the container, and wherein atleast a majority of the external surface of the container is exposed toambient air when the container is closed by the lid.